A shipment of plastic lunchbox sets was seized at the border because they failed an evaporation residue test, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The shipment of 50 Kakao Friends lunchbox sets from China was seized after plastic chopsticks and spoons in the sets were found to contain 100 parts per million (ppm) and 122 ppm of residue respectively after being soaked in 4 percent acetic acid solution for 30 minutes, the FDA said.
The maximum residue level allowed is 30ppm.
Photo courtesy of the FDA via CNA
FDA Northern Center head Chen Ching-yu (陳慶裕) said that the tests are conducted on packaging, containers or utensils containing plastic that come into direct contact with food to check whether the plastic might migrate into food after contact with acid.
The FDA will increase the frequency with which it inspects goods imported by the company that shipped in lunchboxes, Chen said.
The lunchboxes were among eight items in the FDA’s weekly report on imported shipments confiscated for food safety breaches.
Other items included apples from Chile, chili powder from Vietnam and Romaine lettuce from the US for containing pesticides above permitted levels.
A shipment of boneless beef from Honduras was found to contain excessive levels of an adrenergic agonist called zilpaterol, while a shipment of corn flour from India was seized for containing excessive levels of aflatoxins, which are commonly found in improperly stored commodities, the FDA said.
The seized products were either returned to their country of origin or destroyed, it said.
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